Tissue Adhesive, Self-Healing, Biocompatible, Hemostasis, and Antibacterial Properties of Fungal-Derived Carboxymethyl Chitosan-Polydopamine Hydrogels

In this work, fungal mushroom-derived carboxymethyl chitosan-polydopamine hydrogels (FCMCS-PDA) with multifunctionality (tissue adhesive, hemostasis, self-healing, and antibacterial properties) were developed for wound dressing applications. The hydrogel is obtained through dynamic Schiff base cross-linking and hydrogen bonds between FCMCS-PDA and covalently cross-linked polyacrylamide (PAM) networks. The FCMCS-PDA-PAM hydrogels have a good swelling ratio, biodegradable properties, excellent mechanical properties, and a highly interconnected porous structure with PDA microfibrils. Interestingly, the PDA microfibrils were formed along with FCMCS fibers in the hydrogel networks, which has a high impact on the biological performance of hydrogels. The maximum adhesion strength of the hydrogel to porcine skin was achieved at about 29.6 +/- 2.9 kPa. The hydrogel had good self-healing and recoverable properties. The PDA-containing hydrogels show good antibacterial properties on Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) bacteria. Moreover, the adhesive hydrogels depicted good viability and attachment of skin fibroblasts and keratinocyte cells. Importantly, FCMCS and PDA combined resulted in fast blood coagulation within 60 s. Hence, the adhesive hydrogel with multifunctionality has excellent potential as a wound dressing material for infected wounds.